Redland City Business and Retail Awards a reminder to support local business | Editorial

Redland City Bulletin congratulates all the businesses that took part in this year’s Redland City Business and Retail Awards.

In a stunning event held at Sheldon Event Centre on Saturday evening, the best of Redland City’s businesses were on show, reminding us all why it is so important to support local business.

A familiar phrase being sounded across many communities in this country is “shop local”, and with good reason.

Shopping locally has many benefits for a community and is crucial to an area’s economic development.

Money spent at local businesses can help keep local people in jobs and strengthen sports and cultural sponsorship.

Few people would disagree that supporting business in their home region is good practise, and in the Redlands, we’re spoiled for choice.

The range and quality of businesses in this city is impressive – a fact to which Saturday evening’s awards event paid testament.

However, a challenge today’s shop front retailers face, of course, is the online shopping available from a plethora of virtual stores spread across the world.

The convenience of online shopping is obvious to consumers but for some businesses this is taking an enormous toll as they struggle to compete with business owners who pay little, if any, rent and have significantly fewer overheads.

If convenience wins the day, however, and shoppers do not get behind their local businesses, the result will be a growing number of empty shops and fewer local choices.

What does that mean for buying those last minute gifts or when odd bits and pieces for school or home renovation projects are suddenly needed?

The sight of many closed shopfronts in the Cleveland CBD is an example of what could happen to businesses in other areas if local consumers do not support them.

An argument often heard for not shopping locally is that the competition created by driving further afield to buy goods will push down local prices, but when vehicle wear and tear, fuel and meals are factored in, are there really savings to be made?

Redland City Bulletin acknowledges the Redlands Chamber of Commerce and the work it does in supporting local business.

The awards night was a fabulous event.

Now let’s all get behind our businesses in Redland City and make it a point to shop local.